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Federal overtime pay calculator

Estimate 2026 Title 5 overtime and GS night, Sunday, and holiday premiums.

Rule snapshot
Reviewed
Primary sources
OPM pay tables, fact sheets, and 5 CFR
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Inputs stay in this browser

Estimate additional gross pay

Your federal personnel and agency payroll records control this choice.

Premium-pay result

Start with coverage. Unsupported systems stop without an estimate.

How the estimate works

The applicable OPM table controls both your rate and the overtime threshold.

  1. 01

    Confirm coverage

    Use the ordinary Title 5 path only for an FLSA-exempt GS employee.

  2. 02

    Resolve the pay cell

    The tool reads the exact 2026 OPM basic hourly rate and same-table GS-10 step 1.

  3. 03

    Apply eligible hours

    Overtime is full pay; night, Sunday, and holiday entries are incremental premiums.

Ordinary GS premium-pay rules

Percentages use the applicable basic hourly rate, including locality or a qualifying special-rate floor.

Ordinary Title 5 and General Schedule premium-pay rules
Pay laneRateCalculator treatment
Title 5 overtimeVariable1.5× employee rate below the GS-10 step 1 threshold; otherwise the greater statutory rate
GS night pay+10%Incremental premium for eligible regularly scheduled night work
Sunday premium+25%Incremental premium for eligible nonovertime Sunday work
Holiday premium+100%Incremental premium for eligible nonovertime holiday work

Boundaries before payroll

  • Regular basic pay, taxes, deductions, leave, and compensatory time are excluded
  • FLSA-nonexempt, Federal Wage System, Title 38, firefighter, law-enforcement, and agency-specific pay systems are not calculated
  • The Title 5 biweekly and annual premium-pay limitations are flagged but not enforced
  • Agency records control whether work was ordered, approved, regularly scheduled, actually performed, and payable

Federal overtime questions

How is Title 5 overtime pay calculated?

For an FLSA-exempt employee whose hourly basic rate is at or below applicable GS-10 step 1, the overtime rate is one and one-half times the employee rate. Above that threshold, the rate is the greater of the employee's hourly rate or one and one-half times applicable GS-10 step 1.

Why might a higher-grade employee receive less than time and a half?

Title 5 limits the ordinary overtime formula once the employee's basic hourly rate exceeds applicable GS-10 step 1. The result can be the employee's straight hourly rate when that is greater than one and one-half times the threshold rate.

Can night, Sunday, and holiday premiums apply to the same hours?

OPM says night pay may be paid with overtime, Sunday, or holiday pay when each entitlement's conditions are met. Sunday and holiday premiums use the basic rate and are calculated separately, not compounded on one another. Agency records control which hours qualify.

Does this calculator work for FLSA-nonexempt employees?

No. FLSA overtime uses a regular-rate calculation that can include additional remuneration and a separate statutory comparison. The tool stops without dollars and links to OPM's FLSA computation guidance.

Does the estimate enforce federal premium-pay caps?

No. Title 5 biweekly and annual limitations depend on other pay and sometimes agency emergency or mission-critical determinations. Confirm the payable amount with agency payroll.

Who decides whether the entered hours are eligible?

The employing agency does. Official orders, work schedules, time and attendance records, FLSA status, and the controlling pay authority determine whether overtime or a premium is payable.